Convera Selected for Technology Modernization Program at Customs and Border Protection Within U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Initial Contract Valued at $2 Million.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2003

Convera (Nasdaq:CNVR), a leading provider of search and categorization software for enterprises and government agencies, today announced RetrievalWare has been selected as the search technology for the Customs and Border Protection Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) handbook. The new contract for Convera is worth approximately $2 million.

Within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) developed for Customs and Border Protection will be used to increase critical information sharing among the 22 Department of Homeland Security agencies. An important component of ACE, the electronic handbook helps create a new high-tech trade system to streamline import operations and offer greater efficiency for Customs and Border Protection staff and the international trade community.

As part of the technology modernization underway at Customs and Border Protection, Convera's RetrievalWare allows online users in worldwide locations to quickly pinpoint specific data they need within a new electronic version of the Agency's electronic tariff handbook. RetrievalWare's sophisticated search capabilities make essential import regulations and tariff rates for merchandise easy to find expeditiously.

"Search technology is a great benefit to our overall mission," said Bill Anthony, Director, Public Affairs, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "Each year the complexities of global commerce increase which makes the technology modernization program increasingly important."

To continue fighting the war on terrorism with the best technology available, officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are considering expanding the ACE technology modernization at Customs and Border Protection to the other Homeland Security Agencies.

RetrievalWare is already being used within Customs and Border Protection and its initial user base of 3,300 users is expected to grow to hundreds of thousands of users in the coming years. The handbook provides applicable tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the U.S. and is based on the International Harmonized System, the global classification system that is used to describe most world trade in goods.

"Convera is pleased to design the search component for the technology modernization initiative at Customs and Border Protection within the Department of Homeland Security," said Patrick C. Condo, president and CEO, Convera. "Convera's RetrievalWare will help facilitate decision making processes for international trade and a smoother flow of importation approval."

About Convera

Convera is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise search and categorization solutions. Convera's RetrievalWare solutions maximize return on investment in vast stores of unstructured information by providing highly scalable, fast, accurate and secure search across more than 200 forms of text, video, image and audio information, in more than 45 languages. More than 800 customers in 33 countries rely on Convera's search solutions to power a broad range of mission-critical applications including enterprise portals, knowledge management, intelligence gathering, profiling, corporate policy compliance, regulatory compliance, customer service and more. For more information, contact Convera at 800-788-7758, via e-mail at [e-mail] or on the Web at www.convera.com.

This release, including any statements from Convera personnel, contains statements about Convera's future expectations, performance, plans, and prospects, as well as assumptions about future events. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including without limitation, business and economic conditions and trends; continued success in technological advances; possible disruption in commercial activities caused by terrorist activity and armed conflict, such as changes in logistics and security arrangements; reduced customer demand relative to expectations; competitive factors; and other risk factors listed from time to time in the company's SEC reports. Actual results may differ materially from our expectations as the result of these and other important factors relating to Convera's business and product development efforts, which are further described in Convera's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings can be obtained from the SEC's website located at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statements are based on information available to Convera on the date of this release, and Convera assumes no obligation to update such statements.

The Convera design logo and the following are worldwide trademarks of Convera: Convera(TM),RetrievalWare (R), and Screening Room(R). The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.